I’m a virologist – you’ve been cleaning your toilet all wrong – here’s how you should be doing it

BATHROOMS can get gross pretty quick and many of us dread getting round to cleaning them.

Turns out you can get away with blitzing your bathroom once a week, according a molecular virology researcher.

Emma Harding – who is also a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales – said that a weekly clean of your bathroom with soapy water should do the job.

She told honey: “Soapy water is very effective at killing a wide range of microbes, so your regular cleaning can be done with that.” 

You can use a product with disinfectant monthly or when surfaces start to get scummy or slimy.

“Floors will generally need cleaning less than high-touch surfaces like taps and showers,” she added.

However, there is one thing Emma insisted you should be doing when it comes to your bathroom – and it involves your toilet habits.

“The bathroom is one of the dirtiest places in the house, especially if it has the toilet in the same room,” she explained.

“As a general rule, always flush with the lid down to prevent particles from escaping the toilet bowl and settling elsewhere.”

Scientists have revealed that an invisible plume of germs – including poo and wee particles carrying E. coli and Covid-19 – shoots out of your loo every time you flush without a lid down.

Anyone standing above the plume could be exposed to a host of nasty bugs, or the droplets can settle on the objects and surfaces of your bathroom.

If someone in your house has been unwell, Emma recommended you give your bathroom a thorough scrub when they’ve recovered to prevent others from getting ill.

And if you enjoy the odd soak in the bath, Emma said you should definitely clean it before using, as microbes can settle in the bath between uses.

Emma recommended you rinse it with soapy water to make sure it’s clean enough to bathe in.

A recent study analysing the bacteria in baths found skin infection-causing bacteria in 26 per cent of bathtubs tested.

Ultimately, regularity is key to keeping your bathroom and other rooms free of harmful germs.

Regularly wiping surfaces down, vacuuming and letting your washing dry fully will ensure that microbes can’t grow to levels where you’ll regularly need to disinfect your home, Emma said.

Lung specialist MeiLan Han recently recommended that you wear a face mask when giving your bathroom or kitchen a once over to protect your health.

This will help keep your lungs clean of any dust or mould your cleaning up, and it will keep them free of organic compounds in cleaning products – these have been linked to inflammation and lung damage.